A Cool California Condo Has Over 40 Plants Inside — House Call

I am a Southern California native who is married to a lovely British man and we lived together in London for nearly a decade before moving back to Orange County a few years back. We went from a 400-square-foot flat in a busy city to more than double the space in a suburban townhouse. 900 square feet might seem small to a lot of people—but for us it seemed lavish when we first moved in! We have two outdoor spaces—where we have lots of my potted plants, real fruit and herb plants, and our outdoor fire pit. I am a huge lover of plants and we have over 40 plants inside the house, too! Much to my delight—this actually dictates a lot of the styling of the house!

Having a blue velvet sofa is a bold choice—but the blue became the grounding color for the entire palette of the house.

Our house has two bedrooms, a single bathroom, and a more open plan kitchen, dining room, and lounge area. We spend most of the time in the living area—cooking, entertaining, and spending time with our pup! When you move into any space—especially a rental—not everything is going to be laid out in a floor plan you would have chosen but as an interior designer, I love to imagine and create unique pieces of furniture to solve troublesome spaces in the house. The dining room table, the breakfast nook benches, and the shelving in the lounge were all made by my own hands to ensure they fit and kept the natural flow of the space that is best for our family.

This dining room area is only 8×8′ and a thoroughfare for the kitchen, patio and garage—so having a freestanding table was a no-go. We created this “built-in” breakfast nook ourselves with an easy IKEA hack for the bench and vintage table legs with a lacquered MDF table top cut to the size we needed.

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? If I had to change something more realistic—I would have more windows in the bedrooms. Light is so important to me that we never draw any of the curtains or blinds and wake up to the natural light every morning! Because the two bedrooms sit on the south side of the house, they can be quite dark, especially in the winter. More windows would be a game changer!

Some people are scared of white sheets—but we find them the easiest to work with! Even with a dog and lots of breakfasts in bed; bleach can solve all!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? I’m constantly rotating the table top decor in the dining room and lounge so I was so excited to find the vintage bow and arrows that now serve as the table “florals.” They were a vintage find at the Long Beach Antique Fair—one of the best in Southern California!

The lighting on this side of the house can be dismal, so I created this little nook right next to the glass doors to get ready in. The whole space was inspired by this mid-century diamond mirror I thrifted.

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Sponsors for Needed Phoebe’s Pageant Fund

Phoebe was invited and attended an open call for National American Miss on May 18th. After being interview by the committee she was chosen as one of New Jersey's state finalist. Our next step for Phoebe to proceed is attaining sponsors. As we all know times are tough however, she would appreciate any amount you would be able to contribute. Phoebe is very excited to represent her state in August. The pageant goals are for her to gain poise and self-confidence, practice speaking in front of a live audience, and become actively involved in her community. All donations are tax deductible for businesses as an advertising expense. All sponsors will be listed in the state year book. Thank you for your time whether you chose to sponsor or not. The Armstead Family Help spread the word!